David Beckham wins $300M legal battle against counterfeiters

Beckham, 48, is the director of DB Ventures (DBV), a firm that takes care of his most lucrative deals.

This firm’s lawsuit sought up to $1.998 million from each of the 150 named online sellers, mostly in Asia, who had been profiting from selling fake products in his name.

The products included clothing, shirts and footwear, footballs, perfume, hair and body care products, posters, video games, eyewear, jewelry and watches sold on sites like Amazon, eBay and Etsy.

"Their sale poses a real threat to DBV’s brand, and affects the sustainability of its business," the complaint wrote. "It also affects individuals and companies who unwittingly purchase them."

David Beckham during a sunglasses ad for his brand. Photo by Instagram/@davidbeckham

In August last year, Beckham was granted a temporary injunction and asset freeze. The judge has now made them permanent.

The court also gave a default judgment against 44 of the defendants who were absent at the hearing and fined $9,990 for each infringement.

The $439,000 that Beckham received is far from the $299 million that his firm were seeking, but the former midfielder may be pleased that the counterfeiters were forced to stop selling and making profits in his name.

For the case, DBV hired trademark specialists Sladkus Law Group. Sladkus explained in the complaint that the sites were difficult to track down as they never revealed correct addresses or phone number.

Beckham is currently the owner of American football club Inter Miami. The club made headlines after signing superstar Lionel Messi last year, along with former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.